A panicked promise
by LineAlmostBlack
Summary: Nile's greatest fear was coming true; his baby sister was joining the Scouts and he couldn't convince her otherwise. Turning to Erwin was the next best option, ask him to protect her from a nearly certain fate.


Title: A panicked promise.

Rating: T.

Pairing: Erwin S./ Nile D./ OC

Summary: Nile's greatest fear was coming true; his baby sister was joining the Scouts and he couldn't convince her otherwise. Turning to Erwin was the next best option, ask him to protect her from a nearly certain fate.

Year 840.

Nile Dok was not a proud man; okay, scratch that, he was not _that_ proud a man. In fact, one thing made him proudest of all was his family. He had yet to mess things up with Marie and his baby sister had ranked in the Top Ten in the Cadet Corps. She was always the smart one out of the pair of them, so she'd probably -most likely- join the MPs like he had and she'd be safe.

"Catalina," He said, when he spotted her, leaning against a wall in the compound where the cadets make the choice on which Regiment they'd be joining.

"Sir," she saluted, alongside the person she was standing next too, a girl with messy brown hair pulled up into a ponytail.

"What, no hug?" He asked his sister. She'd grown up since he'd last seen her, her physique was more muscular and her copper brown hair was defiantly longer, if the length of her plait was anything to go by. Agreed, she'd probably never get a growth spurt like he had and still had slight baby cheeks but she defiantly looked more on the side of 'woman' than 'girl'. Catalina rolled her emerald eyes before giving him a brief hug, which her friend (at least he assumed that the other girl was a friend) cackled like a witch from his and Catalina's grandpa's old tales.

"Hanji, this is my brother Nile. Nile, this is Hanji, an idiot who might not make it through the night." She introduced.

Hanji held out one of her hands, "How'd'ya do?" She asked cheerfully, "I'm Hanji Zoë, the reason your sister stopped getting into so many fights."

"I'm Nile Dok, Catalina's older brother." He smiled, shaking her hand. "What Regiment are you two joining?"

"We're both joining the Scouts." Catalina said, carefully watching her brother's reaction.

"What?" He asked, desperately trying to keep his voice down as his panic rose, "But you ranked in the Top Ten. You could be an MP. You could be safe. Your skills-"

"Are exactly why I should join the Scouts." She told him, a fire in her eyes that Nile had only ever seen when she and Erwin used to talk about the outside world. "Nile, aren't you fed up of living inside the Walls? Aren't you the least bit curious?" She asked him.

"No." Nile answered a bit too quickly.

Catalina cocked one of her eyebrows before looking at his trousers, "Your pants are on all the forms of fire." She told him blankly.

She was right and he knew it. He was still curious, but he had Marie and you couldn't be a Scout and have a family. Anyone with half a brain knew that. And here Catalina was throwing all those opportunities away at fifteen.

"I need to go," He told her, "You guys will be forming up soon." He walked off then, going to find the other MPs he'd come with.

Desperate to figure out a way to stop his baby sister from joining the Scouts, desperate to keep his promise to their mother. Catalina had never been one to be easily swayed, and once she knew her own mind she stuck to it. That's why she'd joined the Cadets at twelve, against their aunt and uncle's best wishes. That's why she and Erwin used to talk about the outside world against everyone's best wishes. Wait, Erwin, if anyone could talk Catalina out of joining the Scouts it was someone in the Scouts.

"Erwin, a word?" Nile asked when he saw his friend.

Erwin smiled at him and excused himself from the group of Scouts he was with, "Are you okay?" He asked his friend, "You seem frazzled."

"Catalina's going to join the Scouts." He told Erwin, who, to Nile's dismay, simply chuckled;

"Cat did mention that she would in her last letter. She was worried how you would react." He told Nile, "Clearly my advice of telling you quickly didn't have the desired effect."

"Oh, and you didn't think to try and talk her out of it?" Nile frantically half-whispered-half-screamed to his friend.

"Wouldn't that be a bit hypercritical of me?" Erwin pointed out. "Nile, she has always been curious of what's beyond the Wall's, you know that, and besides that, no one's going to be able to convince her otherwise. Once she's made her mind up, well, you'd have a better chance of destroying the Walls." Erwin reasoned with him.

Nile knew he was right, but, deep down, he still had to protect her. After all, he'd promise to his mum when she was born, "Protect her." Nile said frantically to his friend.

"What?" Erwin asked, his blue eyes wide with shock.

"You heard me," Nile said, hazel eyes filled with fear, "If you won't talk her out of getting herself killed then at least have the common decency to keep her safe. Make sure she comes home."

"Nile, you're being ridiculous." Erwin responded.

"Promise me, Eyebrows." Nile was one of the only people who could use that nickname. Mainly because he made it up.

"Alright, I promise." Erwin sighed.

"Swear it, swear it on your father's theories."

"I swear it on my father's theories."

"Thank you." Nile said, breathing a sigh of relief.

And, as he watched his sister dedicate her heart to humanity and join the Scouts, he knew she would be relatively safe.


End file.
